Posted: Nov 30, 2011
TOWSON, Md. – A pair of soccer standouts wrote their names in the Endicott record books as seniors Gregory Capece (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.) and Colleen Pepin (Fairhaven, Conn.) were both named Capital One Academic All-America, a feat that has never been accomplished by an Endicott student-athlete in department history.
Endicott men’s soccer senior Gregory Capece was one of 11 nationally recognized NCAA Division III scholar-athletes who were named to the First Team of CoSIDA’s Capital One Academic All-America Team for his extraordinary efforts both in the classroom and on the field in 2011.
Capece, a Biotechnology major and Business Administration minor who sports a 3.96 cumulative GPA, makes Endicott history by becoming the first Gulls men’s soccer player to achieve Academic All-America status.
Along with his pursuit of high-academic standing, Capece has supplemented his class work with numerous internships and jobs that will prepare him for a career in medical research. He has spent time at Stony Brook Hospital, Milford Hospital, and Cell Signaling Technologies learning and researching a variety of topics including human anatomy, ocular studies, infection, and the business side of medicine.
A four-year member of the Endicott men’s soccer program, Capece shined in his senior season as part of the Gulls backfield. In 2011, the Blue and Green returned to the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Tournament for the second year in-a-row and earned their first ever berth into the ECAC Division III New England Tournament. Endicott finished their first fall campaign under head coach Joe Calabrese 8-8-3, their best finish since the 2006 season.
“Gregory has such a competitive focus to his life, both on and off the field. He pays attention to details and his disciplined lifestyle has made him so successful,” said Calabrese. “This was a season of first for our men’s soccer team. Hopefully this is a foreshadowing of the many great things to come for other soccer players and other student-athletes. Gregory has set the standard for those to come.”
Women’s soccer senior forward Colleen Pepin made Endicott athletics history by earning a spot on the Second Team of the CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-America team for Division III.
In her final season, Pepin led the team in goals (16) and points (36), while also contributing four assists. She started all 19 games for the Gulls and leads the conference in shots, with 102. She was second in the CCC in goals and game-winners (5) and third in points. Pepin led the Gulls to a 12-9 record and their eleventh straight trip to the CCC championship game.
“She’s a steady force all around,” said Endicott women’s soccer coach Jodi Kenyon. “She’s holds herself to such a high standard both on the field and in the classroom. She does it quietly, but the rest of the team really looks up to her. This award is so well deserved.”
The senior accounting major has a 3.94 GPA and has done extensive work both in and out of the classroom. She is a three-year Dean's list student and a member of the Sigma Beta Delta Honor Society. Pepin has already held a forensic accounting internship at Carey & Company, P.C. and was a human resources intern at Acushnet Company.
The accolade is another in a season in which Pepin was named the CCC Senior Scholar Athlete of the Year, as well as earning a spot on the CCC First Team. Pepin was also selected to play in the New England Women’s Intercollegiate Soccer Association (NEWISA) Senior Bowl.
In addition to her studies and her soccer pursuits, Pepin has served as a volunteer at the Pan-Mass Challenge bike ride, the United Way Campaign, and the Relay for Life.
CoSIDA, which began its recognition of NCAA scholar-athletes in the 1950's, has honored more than 15,000 deserving athletes across all divisions in 12 sports. To be eligible, a student-athlete must be a starter or a key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director.
This year, the average GPAs for the men's and women's first team selections hovered just around 3.90.
